West Side Story

The main reason why Robbins had the rivalry of gangs in West Side Story is to show the cultural differences, which is similar to Romeo and Juliet. However both gangs are actually of a low social hierarchy which is what they don't notice. The Jets are penalized for having a bad background and they assume that they are of a higher class than the Puerto Ricans. They seem to believe that they are accepted into this higher social class because of they are of white colour.

1950's influences -

Living standards improved rapidly during the 1950's. Launderettes and home washing machines made looking after themselves a lot easier, which is shown in the way they are dressed and the elaborate clothing they have within the dance numbers, as rock and roll was the main influence in that particular time span also. Teenagers were identifiable as a distinct. They would have hung around in large numbers and rebelled a lot against the norm social standard. They are shown to be the gangs in west side story.